Cody Rhodes' SmackDown segment criticized; WWE veteran irate with stale storytelling: "Exact word-for-word promo" (Exclusive)

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo recently shared his thoughts on this week's episode of SmackDown. This edition of the blue brand was the go-home show before Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WWE SmackDown emanated from Saudi Arabia. Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton kicked off the show, followed by some stellar matches and segments. The night ended with a promo exchange between CM Punk and John Cena where the Second City Saint mocked Cena's old WordLife gimmick with his own "PunkLife."

This week on BroDown, Russo criticized the booking, claiming that the segments were something fans had already seen before.

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"When you look at almost every single one of these segments tonight, we've already seen them. They keep playing the same scenes over and over and over again, and there's no progression to the stories."

The ex-WWE writer pointed out how several segments, including the opening promo between Cody and Randy, were being recycled every week. The veteran writer even highlighted that major storylines between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair had also not developed for several weeks.

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"We had a promo between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. We had the same exact promo four weeks ago. The same, exact word-for-word promo. Thenewe had the deal where Fatu hit the ring to back up Jimmy Uso. They did the same exact thing last week. Then you had all the tag teams together in one place rarguing about The Wyatt Sicks. This is the third time we've seen this exact vignette in the back. Then we got a scene with Alexa Bliss and Charlotte. This is about five weeks in a row. Nothing has developed." [From 5:25 onwards]

The anticipation is at fever pitch as WWE gears up for Night of Champions. It will be interesting to see how the actions pan out in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

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